I'm so glad you picked me! I count on you for everything -- for love, for play, for a place to sleep, and -- very importantly -- the kind of food I need. Here are some things you should know about my nutritional needs.

• Even if I seem to like it, please don't plan my diet around "people food." My needs are different from yours, even though, like you, I need protein, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Some people food is poisonous to me, and some will make me sick and cause digestive problems and diarrhea, which neither one of us want!
• Ask the veterinarian what I should eat. Puppies and kittens need different foods than the foods grown up animals need. The veterinarian will help you choose a food which is good for me. If the food is nutritionally complete, I won't need any extras.
• If I have something wrong with me, the veterinarian may recommend a special food to suit my special needs. Please ask the veterinarian to check me over at least once a year. The veterinarian will know if I have a food allergy, intestinal disability, kidney or heart disease, or if I'm overweight, and will know which special food is best for me.
• Ask the veterinarian about food bones, too! They may splinter and hurt my insides.
• When I'm a puppy, I'll need two to three small meals a day. After I'm grown, I will only need to be fed once or maybe twice a day. No matter how old I am, I like to be fed in the same place, at the same times, by the same person every day.
• If you feed me dry food, ask the veterinarian if it should be soaked, and for how long. If you feed me canned food, make sure it is at room temperature, not cold or right of the refrigerator. Allow me about 20 minutes to eat and then throw away the uneaten food. It is OK to mix some canned food in with dry food for a treat once in a while. Like you, I prefer moist and juicy food to dry bits.
• Please please please ... ALWAYS ... give me fresh water, daily, if not twice a day! Fresh water is essential to my health and well being.
• If I refuse more than one meal, vomit frequently, or have diarrhea, please check with the veterinarian immediately! I may be sick. Not eating, vomiting, and diarrhea are the most obvious signs that I have a problem.